I’m sad to say all the Memorial Day activities planned for Ojai will not happen on May 25 as scheduled this year, due to continuing COVID-19 restrictions. This includes the Ojai American Legion Post free (to veterans) breakfast. The Oak View Civic Council is canceling its annual Memorial Day Parade. The Concert at Libbey Bowl, the Wall of Remembrance and all those beautiful young singers will not appear on May 25.

The city of Ojai has given us permission to observe Memorial Day at Libbey Bowl this year on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, instead. This will be wonderful. We will honor our veterans at Libbey Bowl, have the concert with band, speakers and singers similar to what was originally planned for May 25. We will hang all the “Wall of Remembrance” posters, with pictures, news articles and text about our veterans, around the Upper Libbey tennis courts, which makes our Memorial Day so special compared to others. I can never thank the city enough for letting us observe Memorial Day and honor our veterans at Libbey Bowl on this alternate day.

All donations that were received to support the May 25 observance will be used to support the observance on Veterans Day instead.

I want to remind people again: “American soldiers do not fight because they hate what is in front of them, but because they love what is behind them.” Also: “In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” Keep that in mind as you remember our veterans on Memorial Day and we’ll hope to see you on Veterans Day.

Here is a list of our fallen veterans since Memorial Day 2019:

Donald A. Betlach

Nicholas John Frank, III

Nathan Reynolds

Erik Mauritz Bjornstedt

William J. Ghormley

Harold Ruddick

Melvin R. Bloom

Walter William Guina

Phillip Jerry Sherman

Tommy Carl Cable

Lorraine Violet Ingles

Tommy Sipe Shrader

Lee Howard Criger

Earnest Wayne Leonard

Charles Bridge Thompson

Robert A. Dreger

Fred Donald Linkenhelt

Richard Whitacre

June Berry Ellison

Laurence H. Merritt

H. Ward Wright

Adam Kirkpatrick Erickson

Donald E. Myers

If we missed your loved one on this list, please contact me at 805-302-6093 so we can add them to our wall; you provide pictures/news articles/text, and we’ll make the poster.